2009 Newsletter

It was the wettest year on record for the state of Maine. After a winter filled with many snow storms, there were many many days of rain throughout spring and summer. We definitely deserve a Fall filled with bright sunny days.

So many things have changed in the way we order, sell, advertise and ship the little figures and buildings across the USA. The internet opened up a whole new way to reach customers, to advertise, to converse though e-mail, to order direct through our web site, and to ship priority mail direct from our shop. All these are meant to make business run a little smoother. It is our intention that it will not take away from the personal service that we look forward to with you our customers. Please feel free to call us with questions, orders or help in your selection. We are here for you.

In February when our 2009 order was placed the dollar to the euro was “a little bit better” than in 2008.  This resulted in a few decreases in prices this year in the special figures and allowed us to hold on to last years prices on the single figures.

We look forward to hearing from you as you make your 2009 choices that will grow your collection and that of your friends and relatives.  Thank you for making us your USA choice connection to the beautifully crafted  santons of Marcel Carbonel Ateliers, Marceille, France.

Special 2009

Our special this year is the Carbonel Family’s “le petit dictionnarie des santons de Provence”. This 141 page paperback  book contains both French and English descriptions of approximately 130 santon figures. It features a complete pictured list of the collection of Carbonel santon figures, along with the history, tradition and fabrication of santons. Printed in full color, this is the latest edition of a delightful must for santon collectors.

We selected Bartoumieu  as the figure to be included in our 2009  special. This colorful character is featured on most of the Carbonel pamphlets and advertisements. Bartoumieu is described in the santon dictionary as follows: The Innkeeper,  “rather too keen on the bottle”. Derived straight from the"Pastoral" (French Nativity Play, performed in the Christmas Season). He is often the hero of many amusing stories. Bartoumieu is an early product of the soil of Provence. He is the comic of the Pastoral.  He brings a dried cod, one of the ingredients of the celebrated Provencal dish l’aioli,  along with two baskets filled with food. He is dressed hurriedly. His shirt is buttoned up wrongly and his trousers are held up by a single strap of his bracers.

New Figure

The Carbonel's new figure for 2009 is Gitane, Gypsy. She is new in the # 3 Grande size. She is also available in Cricket, and Elite.

I look forward to hearing from you.
Betsy
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2008 Newsletter

We are a little early with our annual newsletter this year because we are very excited to introduce our all new web-site, www.santons.net. With the help of one of our long time santon customers, David Anderson of www.CanvasDreams.com in Oregon, you are now able to browse and buy securely from our easy to use web-site.

This new site gives you two options to purchase your santons. Along with our continued personal phone service you can now buy direct on-line through our secure site. We don't want to lose the human touch we have had with so many of you through the years. You are like family. It is always a pleasure to talk with you. We will continue to be available to take your orders over the phone and to help you with your decision making process.

By our own design, our 2008 order of santons arrived a little late this year. We had a busy end of May and first of June celebrating Betsy's 50th High School Reunion. It is a big deal in our town. A good time was had by all.

With that behind us we began to inventory the beautifully crafted and meticulously painted figures that are the creation of the Carbonel family. It is such a thrill to open the perfectly packed boxes and to realize that each one was individually molded, fired, cleaned and hand painted. The order arrived in perfect condition.

At this point in time most of the back orders have been filled and we are ready, with a full supply of Marcel Carbonel Santons to add to your collection or to start one for friends and family.

Cricket collectors will be excited to learn that the Donkey with Sticks is the new cricket piece for the year 2008. He will add great character to your scene.

Those of you who collect Elite #2 will find the 2008 Portifaix an interesting addition. We asked, "What is a Portifaix?" The Carbonel's reply: "A man who handles the baggage at the dock."

We have continued the gift box specials of "Advent Mary & Joseph", "The Miller and His Donkey" and the "Holy Family".

Our new Gift Set for 2008 is "Man and Woman Praying". The set is available in all 3 sizes. It includes the "Prieur & Prieuse" and a bookmark with the "Prayer of the Santons" printed on it. All in a gift box ready to give to yourself, a friend or relative.

Visit our web-site to see the new pieces along with our 2008 Gift Box Special, and all the santons that Marcel Carbonel Workshops have to offer here in the USA. You will find us at www.santons.net.

Marcel Carbonel's Santon Distributor for the USA
Betsy Santons de France USA

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2007 NEWSLETTER

If you don’t like Maine weather, wait a minute! It was a little foggy on the coast of Maine during July and a bit into August. Thanks to radar and GPS we were able to get from here to there safely allowing us to hunkered down in quiet coves where we enjoyed the solitude. The end of August and the first part of September we finally got what I call perfect weather......sunny, dry, warm with calm seas and no fog. That is what we will remember of the weather in the summer of 2007 as we take the boat out of the water, return it to it’s winter storage spot, wrap it up in white plastic, drain the water system and look forward to the summer of 2008.

Winters in Florida and Summers in Maine. It just doesn’t get any better than that! It works for me because of a great daughter who fills in for me while I play. Holly works in the computer lab at our local elementary school during the winter. She does a great job filling Santon orders that come in between January 1 and May 15th. With her many computer skills, she keeps track of the inventory. This is a great help to me at the end of the year.

Our 2007 santons arrived a bit late this year due to wire money transfers. As Kermit the frog would say, “ It’s not easy being green.” In the exchange of the US dollar to the Euro, prices change within the hour. Almost like, “Don’t wait a minute longer or the dollar will deflate again.” We finally got it right. The figures, buildings and accessories arrived in perfect condition. Their quality continues to be the finest.

Going into the fall season, many of you turn your thoughts to your Santon Collection and look forward to receiving our annual newsletter. In turn, we think of you as we enter into our busy season of filling your yearly orders. We try our best to keep track of your collections to avoid duplications. Wish lists are very helpful so don’t hesitate to e-mail them to us. Family and friends are always looking for suggestions. It helps if there is a ”wish list”on file for you.

Santons make wonderful gifts for all occasions; Birthdays, Weddings, Bridal Showers,
Baby Showers, Baptisms, House Warmings or Just Because. We still offer the Holy Family at an introductory special price, making it easy to get friends and family started in this wonderful French Tradition.

Check out our web site for the new additions and specials for the 2007-08 season.
Order early for the best selection.
www.santons.net

Good Health, Great Memories, and a Glorious Christmas Season to You and Your Families.

Betsy, Holly and Joe
Santons de France USA